


It's All Good

by materialism



Series: Franklin [1]
Category: Paramore
Genre: Best Friends, First Kiss, Fooling Around, M/M, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 14:55:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3733081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/materialism/pseuds/materialism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You should kiss me,” Zac says abruptly, like he just said “you should pass me the Doritos.”</p><p>(Zac just wants to kiss someone.  Taylor might want more than that.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's All Good

**Author's Note:**

> going to hell in a handbasket, pretty much. 
> 
> this story is set in the summer of 2006. zac and taylor are both sixteen. 
> 
> disclaimer: i do not own anything or anyone involved in this story. all situations depicted in this work are fictional, as well as all persons. if you are one of the parties involved, please make friends with the back button. i highly recommend not googling yourself.

“And it was just _so cool_ ,” Zac says.

“You’ve said that like fourteen times,” Taylor says.

It’s late August, the hottest Tennessee has seen in years. The air conditioning in the Farros’ basement is spotty at best, so today’s jam session has been a lesson in conserving body energy. They’re both a little miffed that Josh ditched them to go hiking with Hayley, but whatever. He’s whipped. Right now, Taylor’s lying on the floor (carpets, scratchy, this house is ancient) while Zac sits cross legged, rapping out rudiments on his practice pad. 

“I know I did it last year, but we did almost the whole tour this year,” Zac continues. “I mean, Fall Out Boy and My Chem weren’t on this year, which was a bummer, but there were all kinds of cool people there. I felt like such a lameass.”

“Well, you are a lameass,” Taylor says, sticking out his tongue.

Zac smacks his leg with a drumstick. “Your mom’s a lameass. Oh man, and there were so many cute girls there. Like, the people who came to see the set and the merch girls. It was, like, actually heaven.”

“Did you get any?” Taylor asks. He genuinely can’t imagine Zac getting any action, as he’s an idiot with girls, but he figures someone must have taken pity on him.

Zac shakes his head gravely. “Nah. Not that I didn’t try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But nope, no dice.” 

“There’s always next year,” Taylor says, shrugging. “And it’s not like cute girls don’t live here. You’ll be fine.” 

“I gotta face it. I’m never gonna have my first kiss at this rate,” Zac laments, heaving a huge sigh.

Taylor actually sits up. “Bullshit you’ve never been kissed.”

Zac nods solemnly. “I swear.”

“Really?” Taylor says. “I don’t believe you. There had to have been some girl on Warped who took pity on you last year.”

“I told you, nada. Not even last year! Every merch girl on Warped Tour is like twenty five,” Zac says. “Josh gets all weird about us interacting with fans. And Hayley’s obviously off limits. Not that I’d want to even if she wasn’t dating Josh. She’s like a guy.”

Hayley is definitely a girl, even if she dresses kind of like a boy, but he gets Zac’s point. “I still call bullshit, but whatever.” 

They’re quiet for a bit. Zac turns to him. “Have you ever kissed anybody?”

Taylor rolls his eyes so hard it hurts a little. “Dude, you’ve been there when I’ve kissed girls.”

“Oh, yeah. Duh.” Zac sets aside his practice pad and sticks, like he’s looking for something to do with his hands.

“You sure your mom didn’t drop you?” Taylor says, to which Zac responds with a lazy middle finger. They settle into silence once again, and Taylor finds himself dozing off a little. 

“You should kiss me,” Zac says abruptly, like he just said “you should pass me the Doritos.”

“What? Why?” Taylor says, coming to immediately. He tries to make it sound collected, but it comes out hysterical.

“So I can get it over with, I guess,” Zac says. 

Taylor screws his face up. “Don’t you want it to, I dunno, mean something?” 

Zac shrugs. “Nah. I figure when I get a girlfriend it can matter then. I just don’t want to walk around being like ‘oh I’m a total loser’ you know?”

“I’m a guy,” Taylor says. “We’re both guys.”

“That’s why it doesn’t count,” Zac says in a dopey voice. “C’mon. Think of it as donating to charity. The ‘Zac Is Pathetic and Needs to Not Be’ cause.”

“You’ll be pathetic regardless of if I kiss you or not,” Taylor says.

“Well then less pathetic,” Zac says. “Come on. C’monnnnn.”

Taylor considers it. Zac is Taylor’s best friend. He’s annoying and immature and one time he laughed so hard he threw up. But... he’s Taylor’s best friend. He’s fun to hang out with, and he’s really good at drums, and he’s pretty good looking for a guy, Taylor supposes. Besides, it’ll be a funny story to tell later on when they’re both grandpas. _Remember that time we kissed in your basement because neither of us had girlfriends?_

He shakes his head and throws his hands up. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Wait, really?” Zac says. 

Taylor shrugs. “If it’ll get you to quit bitching and moaning about it, I can take one for the team.” 

“Sick! You’re the man!”

“Whatever.”

They settle across from each other and edge closer. It takes them a few tries to actually lean in, because they both keep giggling (Zac mostly, but Taylor laughing along after a bit). Zac tries to steady himself by putting a hand on Taylor’s thigh, but that makes them laugh even more. 

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Taylor says, raising his eyebrow.

“Yeah, no, I’m good now,” Zac says. “Okay.”

When their lips touch, it’s not gross or awkward. It’s actually kind of...nice? A little wet, sure, but Zac’s got zero experience, so he’s not gonna hold it against him. Kissing’s kissing, pretty much the same thing with the people interchanged. It’s been a while since he’s kissed anyone, so that’s probably why he’s not minding it so much. He’s just getting used to the feeling when Zac practically shoves his tongue into his mouth, disrupting the otherwise smooth flow of what’s gone on so far. Taylor tries to follow along with what Zac’s doing, but it’s too slimy to continue. He pulls away and tries not to make a grimace. 

“Too much?” Zac says. “I’m sorry. We can stop.” 

Taylor wipes his mouth. “No worries, just... Maybe a little less forceful. And less like you’re trying to drown me. Er, the girl you’re gonna kiss.”

“Oh,” Zac says. “Slow it down. Yeah.”

They sit in silence for a second, not looking at each other. Taylor realizes that Zac’s hand is still on his thigh from before, palm warm even through his jeans. He has a flash of him sliding it a little further up and...what. No. He’s going to stop this like Zac suggested. He’s going to say that was enough of a first kiss and that he should probably save it for his future girlfriend. They’re gonna play a few more songs, and then he’s going to go home and eat so much cereal he feels sick.

“I can show you,” Taylor says instead. “If you want. For reference.”

“That... sounds good,” Zac says. He squeezes Taylor’s thigh unconsciously. “Should I or...?”

“Just follow me, I guess,” Taylor says.

There’s no giggling and ducking of heads this time around, although there is a moment of hesitation. Zac’s hand moves up Taylor’s leg as Taylor puts a hand on Zac’s jaw. Their eyes both flutter shut as their lips meet, much less frenzied than last time. Zac really is heeding his advice, staying sweet and still until Taylor opens up the kiss just a little. He tastes Doritos and a little bit of toothpaste in Zac’s mouth, but he doesn’t mind it. When Zac tries to shove his tongue in again, Taylor pulls away. 

“Wait a little, wait,” Taylor says, and it comes out way more breathy than he thought it would. “Be a little more gradual with it.”

Zac leans in again and kisses Taylor gently. He runs his tongue along the seam of Taylor’s mouth. When Taylor opens his mouth, he slides in, and instead of intrusion it’s exploration. Zac’s still clumsy, but he’s a fast learner. He’s taking care to mirror Taylor’s every fraction of a movement. Every once in a while, he’ll make a little noise or his breath will hitch, which makes Taylor’s gut twist for some reason. He doesn’t know when his hand got tangled in Zac’s hair or when Zac’s hand made its way to his waist, but he’s not one to ask questions in the moment. When Zac pulls away, he wants to chase his lips, but he resists. They sit up straight and look at each other, faces flushed, panting. 

“I’m gonna go now,” Taylor says. He gets up and starts to pack up his gear.

“We were supposed to practice some more,” Zac protests, even as he helps Taylor out.

“We can do it in a few days. Mom’s gonna be really pissed off if I’m not home for dinner. See you later?”

“Okay...” 

Without so much as a look back, Taylor practically runs out the front door and onto his bike. He doesn’t stop pedaling until he gets home. Bypassing dinner altogether, he makes a beeline for the bathroom and throws up.

“You okay?” Justin says from outside the bathroom door.

“Yeah, uh, I just don’t feel that good,” Taylor says. In more ways than one.

-

Taylor isn’t avoiding Zac. 

So here’s the thing - Taylor thinks about guys sometimes. It’s not like he’s imagining something really sexual or wrong. He just thinks about how they look. A guy can think another guy is good looking without it being a gay thing. Okay, yeah, and cuddling with them, but that’s more of a physical affection thing. Maybe kissing, but that’s only every once in a while. That’s just a curiosity thing, if kissing a guy is any different than kissing a girl. Up until now, he didn’t think he’d ever act on anything like that. They’re just thoughts. 

Sure, Zac is what his mom would call “husky.” He can be downright irritating at times. He sweats more than any human alive. He once swallowed a nickel as a dare. But there’s been a tugging feeling in Taylor’s stomach every time Zac smiles. It takes him a little longer than it should to let go of him when they hug - which has been more and more recently. Maybe Taylor’s just zoning out more, tired from the heat. Stil, that doesn’t account the emptiness he feels when he’s not at Zac’s or talking to him or something like that. The hollowness that he’s feeling right now is something he can’t shake. 

Taylor is totally avoiding Zac.

“You alright, honey?” his mom says one day when he’s heading out for a bike ride.

He pauses by the door. “Yeah, why?” 

“You’ve been home a lot,” she says. “Usually during the summers you’re living with the Farros.”

“Uh, I don’t know, been doing other stuff, I guess,” Taylor says. 

“If you’re having a problem with them, you can tell me, you know,” she says.

 _I really, really can’t, but thanks anyway._ “There’s no problem. We’re just both a little busy, that’s all.”

She looks at him for a moment with a curious expression on her face. “Well, alright then, keep your secrets. Teenagers are mysterious creatures, after all.”

“Right,” he says. “Bye.”

He bikes around town, mind racing, unable to stay on one thought for more than a fleeting moment. When he stops off at the pizza place downtown, Josh is hanging out at one of the tables, half eaten slice of pizza in front of him. Well, at least it's this Farro and not the other one. He whistles and Josh looks up, waving and gesturing to the table. 

"Sorry to crash your soon to be date," Taylor says, sitting down.

Josh waves him off. "No big. We've already seen each other like four times this week. Did you and Zac have a fight or something?” 

“No, why?” Taylor asks. This is getting old.

“You haven’t been to my house in like a week,” Josh says, mouth full of food. He swallows before saying, “it’s just really weird is all.”

“I’ve just been busy, God,” Taylor says, then shakes his head. “Sorry, it’s just everyone’s getting on my case about it and it’s annoying. We’re not attached at the hip.”

Josh gives him a long look. “Whatever it is, you should talk to him.”

Taylor shrugs. “Nah. Not that it is anything that needs to roll over, but it'll roll over.”

Josh gives him a long look, but before he can say anything, the bell on top of the door rings. They both turn their heads as Hayley walks in, sweaty from a bike ride no doubt. Josh's face lights up like a Christmas tree. She hipchecks him to move over and gives him a kiss, which he smiles into. Taylor’s totally not jealous at all, in any way whatsoever. That would be ridiculous.

Hayley shakes herself out of her boyfriend la-la-land fog when she sees Taylor. “Oh hey T, what’s up?”

“Not much,” Taylor says. “Eating pizza. Crashing your date. Dude stuff.”

“We’ve been talking about what he’s been up to,” Josh says, kissing the top of her head. Gross.

“Oh, you mean how he’s avoiding Zac?” Hayley says. 

Taylor hates everyone in this pizza shop, including the six year old playing Nintendo while his dad rolls dough. He lets out a growl of frustration. “I’m not avoiding Zac. Everyone needs to get off my back about this. It’s really annoying.”

Hayley holds her hands up. “Whoa, take it easy. Everyone’s just concerned. Normally when we get back from tour, you guys are attached at the hip.”

“He’s bummed out about it,” Josh says. “He doesn’t know what he did.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. You know me, absent minded.” He lets out a huffed laugh, feeling like a jerk. Josh and Hayley sigh in unison. They’re the ones attached at the hip. Pot meet kettle.

“Talk to him,” Hayley says. 

“Yeah, so he stops moping around the house,” Josh says.

Taylor sighs. “I will, I will. I promise.” 

On his bike ride home, Taylor is lost in his thoughts. He used to be an amazing liar. When did he stop being good at it?

-

It’s 2am and Taylor can’t sleep. 

His head is pounding from exhaustion, his day filled with errands for his mom and fixing his dad’s car. Counting sheep is bullshit and even reading doesn’t settle him down for more than five minutes. There’s only one other thing he can think of that’s pretty much guaranteed to knock him out. He only feels a little guilty about jacking off anymore. Why would God invent something that feels so good if he didn’t want people to appreciate it? 

Reaching into his nightstand drawer, he pulls out the tiny bottle of lube he shoplifted from the drug store. When he pulls his shorts halfway down his thighs, he’s already half hard, because he’s sixteen and it’s pretty easy to get him going. (He’s never had sex with anyone before. Everyone thinks it’s because he’s very devout, but he mostly chalks it up to excruciating shyness. God knows he wants it bad.) He tries to think of the girls who run track at the high school down the street from his house. He pictures their legs in their short-shorts, sweat soaked low cut tank tops, how flexible they would be beneath him. 

This particular fantasy usually works, but not tonight. His thoughts keep going back to the basement and Zac’s hand on his thigh. What if he had gone further? He imagines Zac kissing him while palming him through his pants, swallowing his sounds with his mouth. He imagines his pants being unzipped, Zac’s hand slipping inside to grasp his cock through the slit in his boxers. In his mind, he lasts longer than he probably would in real life, rolling his hips along with the motion of Zac’s hand. He’s biting down on his wrist to stop making noise, not sure how he’s going to explain the eventual bruises. 

His mind flips to them still on the floor, but with their legs all tangled up. Dream Taylor has his hand in Zac’s pants, underneath his boxers, and is tentatively touching Zac’s cock. Dream Zac whispers something about going faster as he speeds up his hand on Taylor, and soon they’re in sync, kissing feverishly. Reality Taylor comes so hard that it shoots all over his hand and shirt. He stares at the ceiling, panting in the darkness, and feels a sudden rush of terror. 

This is not good. 

-

It’s been a week and a half of not-avoiding-but-actually-avoiding Zac when he hears a knock on his bedroom door.

“Come in,” he says, not looking up from his summer reading. This book is really boring but he should have been done two days ago.

“Yo,” Zac says, closing the door behind him and leaning on it. He crosses his arms and gives him his trademark pissed off look, one that Taylor never thought would be pointed in his direction.

“Uh, maybe call first before you come over?” Taylor says, stomach churning. Shit, shit, shit. 

“Uh, tried that, you haven’t been answering.” Zac walks over to his desk and sits in his chair. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Taylor says. “Why are you so worried about it?”

Zac crosses his arms and screws up his face, which should not be cute. Ugh. “Because you’ve been avoiding me.” 

“I’m not avoiding you,” Taylor says. “I’ve been busy.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Zac says. 

“Just let it go,” Taylor says. “It’s nothing.”

“Did I say something? You know how I run my mouth, dude,” he says. “I’m sorry whatever it is.”

“You didn’t say anything. Don’t worry about it, seriously,” Taylor says. “I’m just feeling weird.”

“Is this about what happened in my basement? With, you know.” He makes a vague gesture.

Taylor does his best impression of incredulity. “What are you...?”

“Look, I’m sorry for pressuring you into that,” Zac says. “It was a weird thing to ask of you. I get why you’d be freaked out by it and why you’d be pissed off at me, even though you’re too good of a friend to say anything. That’s what it is, right?”

“That’s not what it is,” Taylor says, because apparently he has no sense of self preservation.

“That has to be what it is,” Zac says. “I can’t think of anything else!”

“I mean it’s not what you think,” Taylor says. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Zac throws his hands up. “Oh, so it _is_ that. Well, you’re freaked out about something having to do with it. It’s okay that you’re grossed out. Again, I’m sorry.”

Taylor looks away from him. “I’m freaked out because I want to do it again, okay?” 

Zac actually does a double take. “What?” 

“I want to kiss you again,” Taylor says, words spilling out of him. “That’s why I’m staying away. So I don’t do anything stupid and have you hate me.”

“I would never hate you, dude,” Zac says.

Taylor shakes his head. He feels nauseous and scared. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to -”

“Please just go. Let’s not make this any worse than it already is.”

After a long moment, Zac gets up and starts walking toward Taylor’s bedroom door. For once he’s listening to Taylor instead of just ignoring him - wait, no, he’s not leaving. In fact, he’s locking the door. After checking the handle, he makes his way to Taylor again.

“Why’d you lock the door?” Taylor says.

Zac sits on the edge of the bed and starts to unlace his shoes. “Move over.”

Taylor finds himself shifting to the far end of his bed, even though his brain is screaming at him not to. They used to sleep head to tail in this bed when they were kids. Why are things so different now? Why is Taylor’s brain scrambled with all these not-so-friendly thoughts? When Zac’s done taking off his shoes, he lines them up neatly at the foot of the bed and lies down to face Taylor. His eyes are so soft and sympathetic. Taylor hates it. 

“Hey,” Zac says.

“Uh, hey,” Taylor says, willing himself to keep eye contact. He feels some of his hair fall into his face.

Zac reaches out and tucks the hair behind Taylor’s ear. Taylor wants to lean into his touch, and yeah, officially full on freaking out. “Is that really all that’s bothering you?”

“It’s not some small thing,” Taylor says. “It’s not right, man. I’m gross.”

“You’re not,” Zac says. 

“I am, though,” Taylor says. “You just wanted to get your first kiss out of the way and I had to go off and make it weird.”

Zac sighs. “Uh, I... It wasn’t my first kiss, Taylor.”

“What are you talking about, yes it was,” Taylor says. “You told me it was.”

“I kissed a girl in New Jersey in July. She was in one of the local bands. It was awkward.” He bites his lip and oh no, that’s cute.

Taylor is flabbergasted. “But... wait, what?”

Zac shakes his head. “I lied to you so I could have an excuse to kiss you. So there.”

They stare at each other for a moment, letting the information sink in. What does that mean now? Taylor wants to test the waters, shift the few inches left between them and press their lips together, but he’s terrified. Just because Zac wanted to kiss him then doesn’t mean he wants to kiss him now. He looks into Zac’s dark, dark eyes. He looks at his pretty lips. He looks at Zac’s hand on the pillow, all warm solid weight and long fingers. 

“I want your hands on me,” he says out loud without thinking, and slaps his hand over his mouth. “I mean, I - I don’t -”

“I can arrange that,” Zac says with a shy smile.

He wiggles an arm under Taylor at the same time as he wraps his other arm around him, eliminating the scant distance between them as he pulls Taylor in by the waist. Zac is warm and solid against his own weird, angular body, and Taylor’s trying his best not to press his hips into Zac’s own. He hooks a tentative arm around Zac’s shoulder. 

"Let's see how you really kiss," he says. It's gutsy but Zac grins big.

"Not much better," He says. "Method acting, you know."

They rush in too fast and end up smacking foreheads. Always something. Zac just laughs, soft, like he's waiting for permission to let go. Something flutters in Taylor’s chest.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Taylor says, harking back to before. 

“Shut up,” Zac says.

Taylor doesn't say anything else, just leans in slow, waiting for Zac to get with the program. Zac beats him to it, kissing him with just the right amount of pressure, eyes already closed. His eyelashes are really long for a guy. His face is blemish free because he’s the worst, and Taylor wants to kiss every inch of it. He's such a sap. Maybe he's been gone for Zac for a while.

"Stop thinking," Zac breathes against his lips, giving them a chastising nip.

"You got it," he says, closing his eyes and opening his mouth.

Zac goes with the flow right away, and yeah, he was definitely faking the last time. He’s not a master, sure, but he’s definitely got some amount of finesse, setting a gentle pace for the both of them to follow. His thumbs are making circles in the small of Taylor’s back, sending chills up and down Taylor’s spine. Taylor’s body is on board with more than just kissing, of course, but he’s so scared. He’s lucky enough to have gotten this far. To push his luck wouldn’t be the best thing. 

“Who taught you all of that?” Zac says when they part for air. “I don’t know if I want to thank them or tell them to buzz off.”

“Read a few books,” Taylor says. “Practiced on my pillow. Standard stuff.”

“I’ll rip them all to shreds. You’re mine.” Zac’s face changes from cheeky to sheepish, a faint pink tint gracing his cheeks. “Wow, that was creepy. Sorry about that.”

“No, I like it,” Taylor admits, feeling his own face heat up. “Wow, we’re dumb.”

“You mean you’re dumb,” Zac says. “I’ve liked you since we were thirteen.”

“Wait, really?” 

Zac laughs and screws his eyes shut. “Yeah, dude. It’s like, really embarrassing.”

Mind blown. “When? How? I never would have guessed, swear on my life.”

“My thirteenth birthday party. We played basketball and you took your shirt off,” Zac says. “I didn’t know why I felt nauseous when I’d seen you shirtless a million times before. I mean, I don’t think it’s a gay thing. I think it’s just you. But I also want to do stuff with you so maybe that’s a little gay.”

Taylor bites his lip. He shifts a little closer. “What kinda stuff?”

“C’mon, man, don’t make me say it,” Zac says, even as his hands drift a little lower, fingertips dipping under the waistband of his pants and resting above the top of his boxers. 

“I’m gonna make you say it,” Taylor says, grinning wickedly. 

Zac doesn’t say anything at all. Instead, he surges forward, not even kissing him but biting his lower lip. Taylor lets out a moan that he immediately stifles (his family does not need to know he’s making out with a boy right now). Zac flat out cackles into his mouth before kissing him hot and messy, their staggered breathing ragged. He grabs Taylor by the hips and shifts them so Taylor’s lying on top of him. Slipping his hands into Taylor’s sweats, he squeezes his ass. Taylor’s already half hard, on his way to having a real issue. He breaks off from Zac’s lips and drifts to his earlobe, grazing it with his teeth.

“Oh fuck, ah,” Zac croaks, shuddering. It’s a relief that he’s not the only one trying to suppress himself.

“Language,” Taylor says, a perfect imitation of Zac’s mom. 

That earns him nails digging into his ass, sure to leave bruises. Taylor muffles his noise in the crook of Zac’s neck, pressing kisses into the skin beneath his lips. (He wishes he could leave the marks he sees on Josh’s and Hayley’s necks all the time, but he knows better than that. Maybe someday soon.) He moves his hips against Zac’s and is met with equal hardness on his part. It’s a weird sensation, but Taylor’s not complaining. What’s stranger is that this is real. Here’s the shift he’s been afraid of, when these feelings aren’t just thoughts anymore. 

“You’re so - I need -” Zac says, shifting under him to work up a rhythm. 

“Yeah, same,” Taylor whispers into Zac’s mouth, full body pressing into him. 

He pulls Zac’s hands out of his pants and pins his wrists above his head, giving him something to struggle against. He’s always wanted to do that to someone, but he’s been too scared. Taylor’s pretty strong from playing multiple instruments, but Zac is stronger. He breaks out of Taylor’s grasp and splays his hands on Taylor’s back, tugging up his T-shirt in the process. Their hips are rolling together at a rapid rate, but they’re both making a huge effort to not rock the mattress. This is so good, so much, almost too much to take. 

“I’m gonna come,” Zac says, lifting his hips to grind harder against Taylor.

Taylor feels that heat building up and spreading through his body. “M-me too -”

“Oh my - I - fuck, ah -” With one last push, Taylor feels Zac freeze up beneath him, eyes screwed up tight. He leans in and bites Taylor’s shoulder hard as he rides out his orgasm. 

That little action triggers Taylor into coming so hard he sees stars, shaking in Zac’s vice of a grip. He crushes his lips against Zac’s as he rides it out, hungry, desperate. In the afterglow, he feels wrung out, a dull throb between his legs, and his sweatpants are pretty gross. They stay where they are for a few moments, just panting and staring into each other’s eyes. Taylor finds himself smiling, his first genuine one in weeks. Zac smiles back, and it’s sunshine, and he feels a sharp ache in his chest. It’s good though. It’s good. 

-

“Problem solved?” his mom says when he gets home from dropping Zac off at his house. 

(He’s a little later than usual, which is to be expected. Thankfully no one batted an eye when Zac left in a pair of Taylor’s sweatpants, his soiled shorts in a grocery bag. They made out for like twenty minutes before Zac finally left his car. Taylor’s lips still hurt and he can’t stop touching them.)

“Yeah, we’re good,” Taylor says. 

When he gets to his room, he presses his face into the pillow. It smells like Zac. He holds it closer. They’re good.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to add me on tumblr - [toallofourfavoriteparts](http://toallofourfavoriteparts.tumblr.com). thanks for reading.


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